Zwift’s latest update includes a new gravel frame from Canyon. Simply named the “Canyon Grail SLX” in game, based on the colorway, it appears to be Zwift’s version of the Canyon Grail CF SLX 8:
On Zwift, you’ll need to be updated to game version 1.110+ to see this bike in the Drop Shop. You’ll also need to be at level 10+ with 800,000 Drops to buy it. Here’s how it’s described in the Drop Shop:
“Light, balanced, and built to move. Be it long days on mixed surfaces or quick rips on your local doubletrack, the Grail SLX is rapid where you want it and rugged when you need it.”
See our master list of all frames in Zwift >
It’s rated 2 stars for aero, 3 stars for weight, and before this week’s update, only one gravel bike had such a high rating (the Cervelo Aspero). One would expect this bike to perform well against existing in-game gravel bikes, but since Zwift’s 4-star system isn’t the most granular of performance measurements, we ran this frame through our precise tests to measure performance at nerd-level detail. Let’s dive in!
Note: test results below are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock gravel wheelset on the un-upgraded version of the frame.
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
Canyon’s Grail SLX turns in a strong performance on the flats, beating all existing gravel bikes on tarmac apart from the new Cannondale SuperX LAB71.
For comparison, the stock Zwift Gravel frame loses 145.4 seconds to our baseline Zwift Carbon frame across an hour of flat tarmac, while the (former) fastest gravel bike, the Cervelo Aspero, loses 115.2 seconds. The Grail SLX only loses 113.2 seconds.
Climb Performance
The Canyon Grail SLX is a strong climber compared to the game’s older gravel frames, once again losing only to the new Cannondale SuperX LAB71 in our climbing tests.
The stock Zwift Gravel frame loses 161.8 seconds to our baseline Zwift Carbon frame across an hour of Alpe du Zwift climbing, while the (former) fastest climbing gravel bike, the Specialized Crux, loses 122 seconds. The Grail SLX only loses 124.8 seconds, putting it in 4th place.
Jungle Performance
Of course, nobody really cares about how well a gravel frame performs on pavement, which is where we do our aero and climb testing (above). While those flat and climb tests help us tease out a frame’s aerodynamic capabilities and weight, when it comes to gravel bikes, people really want to know how fast they are on Zwift’s virtual dirt!
In that regard, the Canyon Grail SLX turns in a strong performance, second only to the new Cannondale SuperX Lab71, losing just 1.3 seconds across an hour of Jungle Circuit riding to the SuperX.
Upgrading Your Canyon Grail SLX
Like all frames in Zwift, Canyon’s Grail SLX can be upgraded in five stages. As a high-end race bike, each of the five stages results in a performance improvement. The Canyon Grail SLX upgrade stages are as follows:
- Ride 200km, pay 100,000 Drops for an aero upgrade
- Ride 260km, pay 200,000 Drops for a weight reduction
- Ride 320km, pay 350,000 Drops for a drivetrain efficiency improvement
- Ride 380km, pay 500,000 Drops for an aero upgrade
- Ride 440km, pay 750,000 Drops for a weight reduction
You can expect a fully-upgraded Canyon Grail SLX to be approximately 28 seconds faster on a flat hour and 36 seconds faster on an hour-long climb vs a “stock” (un-upgraded) Canyon Grail SLX.
Conclusions
Canyon’s new Grail SLX beats every gravel bike in Zwift, apart from the new Cannondale SuperX Lab71. But it’s also available at just level 10, vs level 28 for the SuperX… and it’s a big more affordable! That makes the new Grail a great choice for beginning Zwifters looking for a fast gravel setup.
With that said, it may make sense to wait before you purchase the new Grail on Zwift, because there are rumors of fresh dirt roads coming to Zwift, and I bet more gravel frames and wheels will be added to the game shortly.
We’ll be adding this bike to the following posts soon:
- Speed Tests: Gravel, MTB, and Road Frames on Zwift Dirt
- Zwift Shopping Guide: What To Buy from the Drop Shop at Each Level
Questions or comments?
What do you think of Canyon’s new Grail in Zwift? Share below…
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
